Finally Letting Go
by Belle Goode
Summary: Sequel to Not a Chance - Charli has been emancipated and is working hard at becoming a full CSI. But will a man, determined to destroy everything for her, stand in the way of following her dream?


**A/N: I do not own CSI Miami or any of it's characters, affiliates...etc. This is just my imagination running with it! I hope you all enjoy!**

"How is she doing?" Horatio asked Natalia while looking at the small frame who was going through paint chips found at the recent crime scene. She'd trimmed her lighter brown hair but still captivated with her amber eyes.

Natalia looked up and followed her superior's eyes. "She's doing good."

"I mean at home."

Her features clouded. "She dreams H. Every night. And I can't help her with it, because she refuses to talk about it."

He nodded his red head. "That's her father's doing."

She sighed heavily. "I know it is. And I don't know how to get around it."

"You may not be able to. I never thanked you for taking her in. I figured if anyone would know what she might be going through..."

"It'd be me." she finished off. "It's been good for me, her being there. I guess I didn't realize how lonely I've been."

He smiled at her and gently covered her hand with his. "I know sweetheart." then he headed toward the girl. "Charli."

She jumped at the urgency in his voice. "Sorry. You startled me."

"I seem to do that often."

She could tell he didn't like her skittishness around men, but especially him, and she tried to keep him from feeling bad when it happened. "Quit sneaking up on people, and that wouldn't be so much of a problem." and she smiled.

He grinned back. "I'll work on it, Ms. Gibbens."

She giggled. She'd actually been doing that a lot since discovering a family of her own. Her mother had been murdered by her father, they had found out later, and she had done everything she could to get on the CSI team. H, had actually saved her life in her opinion and her father had since been put away on one count of attempted murder of herself, and first degree murder for her mother. The two consecutive sentences had put him in prison for life, without a chance of parole. "So what do you want anyway? Mr. Caine." she picked back. She always called him that, when he called her Ms. Gibbens, instead of Charli.

"You ready to go out on your first field assignment?"

She studied him closely. "Really?"

He nodded. "You've certainly proven yourself around here the last three months. Are you ready for it?"

"Do you think I am?"

She had asked him so sincerely. "Yes Charli. I do think you're ready."

She took a deep breath in and smiled. "Okay then. Let's go."

* * *

The silver hummer pulled up along side the scene. He had filled her in prior to and explained that they were actually processing the scene after the fact, looking for any clues that would help them find out who had done it. "I have to give you fair warning, there will be blood."

She nodded.

"But no bodies."

She let out a tiny breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Shot?"

He shook his head. "Stabbed. Home invasion."

She nodded. "Let's do it."

"I don't want you touching anything if you can avoid it. This is strictly observation on your part. Understand?"

She nodded again.

"I don't want to overload you on your first time in the field."

Her first time. She was on her way to being a real Crime Scene Investigator. She was so excited, and so scared all at once. She followed H into the home after donning some rubber gloves.

The instant smell of blood hit her like a cast iron skillet to the face. He was right. There was some blood, but not a lot. She looked around and saw where the victim had been stabbed and where they had died. "Where was she stabbed?"

He looked up. "What makes you think it was a she?"

"Observation. Look at the decorations. It suggests a woman's touch is in here. Most bachelor pads are clean cut and no frills. No flowers," and she pointed toward a bouquet, "no purple and pink decor, and certainly no teddy bears." she said pointing toward the plush couch with a huge brown teddy bear that said _I wub you beary much_.

H smiled at her. "You are correct. It was a woman. She was stabbed in the chest cavity causing internal bleeding in her lungs. It happened around midnight last night and she bled out internally."

"Which is why there's not a lot of blood." She walked back to the door when he nodded, then to each window and the back door. "No sign of forced entry." then she noticed the sheets on the bed in the bedroom. "She was in bed when it started."

He nodded.

"And must have been grabbed then brought out here where it happened."

He nodded again.

They kept going until it was almost dark and she had pinpointed and picked out just about every scrap of stuff they could consider evidence. She looked so tired when they got back to the truck. "You did good today kiddo."

She smiled. "Thanks. I really feel like part of something now."

"As opposed to...?"

Charli shrugged. "It's not that I didn't feel like I was part of a team before, it's just now...I don't know. Now I can maybe start being more hands on."

"You already are hands on. It's important stuff that you do at the lab. Do you know how many cases we've solved with your help?"

She glanced up. "I guess I didn't think about that."

"Do you want me to drop you off at the house, or did you leave anything at the lab?"

"The house is fine I guess. The only thing I have at the lab is an application."

"Going to work somewhere else Ms. Gibbens?"

She laughed. "Applying for college actually. Criminology."

H raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. "I figured since I already had a pretty decent head start, I might as well keep going and see where it takes me." then she searched his face. "What do you think?"

He smiled. She was asking his opinion on something. She really wanted to know what he thought. "I think you've got a very good thing going, and you would do wonderful in the field. It suits you very well."

She smiled big as they pulled up along side the driveway. Natalia was on the porch it looked like, and she waved when they arrived. She turned before closing the door. "See you tomorrow H."

He waved to Natalia then nodded. "Tomorrow, Charli."

She could almost feel herself bouncing up the steps. "Waiting up?"

Natalia smiled. "Maybe? How did it go?"

Charli filled her in on all of the details and how she had felt when she first got there. She had eaten in the time it took to tell everything and was ready to go upstairs and crash. "I'm tired, so I am going to turn it in and see you in the a.m."

She smiled back. "Sounds good." then she lost the grin. "Hey, how are you sleeping lately?"

Charli stopped mid-step. "I...I'm sleeping okay."

"You want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "No, I just...it's nothing. I'm fine. Sometimes I dream."

'_More like every night you dream.'_ she thought. But she didn't say anything. She only nodded as she walked away. The poor kid needed to talk to someone. She would talk to H again. Maybe he could get whatever it was, out of her. He'd become somewhat of a father figure to her in the past months, and she was hoping he could use that to find out what was going on with her.

* * *

She sat straight up and listened. She was dreaming again. Natalia got up and went into Charli's room. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she rubbed her arm down from the girls shoulder as she tossed back and forth in a cold clammy sweat.

"Charli? Honey, wake up. You're having a bad dream."

"No..." and her face crunched up. "Please...stop."

"Charli!" Natalia repeated. "Wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Suddenly her eyes opened wide and she gasped in.

"Easy honey. Just a dream."

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the body that was there. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..."

Hugging her back, she tried to calm her. "Hey, easy. It's alright. It was just a dream."

She squeezed tight, then let go and leaned back. She was so out of her element. It was strange having someone there to tell her it was going to be alright. That it was alright to cry, or that it was alright to rely on anyone but herself. H had told her that she was one of the most self sufficient people he'd ever known, and she could see sometimes that it bothered him. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Don't be. I'll survive it." and she smiled. She was done talking so she stood and turned at the door. "See you in the morning."

Charli smiled back. "In the morning."

* * *

When they walked in the next morning, H immediately saw the circles under her eyes. "Rough night?"

"Yes." Natalia answered. "She had a very rough night last night."

Charli shook her head and looked away. "It was...it was just a nightmare."

The concern flooded his features as she walked away.

"She needs help H. And I don't know what to do. Maybe you can talk to her, because she's not accepting anything from me."

He walked around the corner to where Charli was now sitting, filling out the college application she'd told him about.

"You look tired Ms. Gibbens."

She glanced up at him and then looked back down at the paperwork she was filling out. "Nightmares happen."

"They do. But every night is a different story."

She froze. "Did Natalia tell you that?"

"She did indeed. She's worried about you. So am I."

That had struck a wrong chord, and she had no idea why. Standing up she looked at him, with an odd mix of emotion in her eyes. "I don't need people to worry about me! Not you, not her, no one." and she walked away.

He didn't follow, he knew she was going to the roof top. He figured he'd let her have some time, and he did just that. But when she didn't come back down after two hours, he headed off in search. She had put a chair up there so she wouldn't lean against the railing since she knew he didn't like it. Sometimes he smiled at how much she actually did care what he thought and how he felt, even if she denied it all the time.

She was sitting in the chair, with both feet up and against the railing, working hard on something. She heard him approach but wouldn't turn and look at him.

"You've been up here a long time."

She shrugged. "Working on my scholarship essay."

"Charli, it's not bad that people care, you know."

She shrugged again. "I'm not sure that I really like it. I'm used to doing things on my own."

"That doesn't bother you at all?"

"Sometimes. It gets lonely."

"But?"

"But what H? I can't do anything about it! It's not like I can flip a switch and just start relying on people. I've been doing it alone for too long!"

"You _have_ been doing it alone for too long. It's time you start at least trying to get help for things."

She just shook her head, still not looking at him. Dammit, she wouldn't cry. She looked away as he came into her line of sight. "What do you want from me?"

He squatted in front of her. "I want you to understand that not all men are your father, and not everyone wants something from you."

"Too late." she whispered.

It hurt him to hear her say that. She had so much potential. She could do so much more, if she would just learn to accept help when she needed it.

She cleared her throat as she stood, and handed him the paper, refusing to look in his eyes. "Tell me what you think, before I submit it."

He studied her. She was running again. Poor kid was so scared to make any type of connection with anyone. He looked down at the paper. _"Who is the most influential person in my life and why? His name is Horatio Caine..."_ and he watched her frame disappear through the door, leading back down to the lab.

* * *

Over the course of the next few weeks, the nightmares became worse and both H and Natalia became more and more worried. Her father had long been put in jail, but Charli's ordeal was far from over. And the longer she went without talking to someone, the more withdrawn she'd become.

She'd started keeping to herself, and talking less, putting everything she had into working and trying to get scholarships. But almost to an obsessive point. Natalia walked into the area she was in. "Hey Charli. I'm almost ready to go."

She nodded but didn't say anything.

"You're coming right?"

Staring through the microscope she shrugged. "I want to finish this. Can I catch a ride with someone else?"

"There's no one else here but me and H. And he's getting ready to leave too. Night crew is off for cleaning."

"Give me just a little bit longer and I'll get ready."

She turned the corner shaking her head after heading for the locker room.

Horatio could tell Natalia was bothered. "What's wrong?"

"She doesn't want to come back to the house. If I let her, she'd probably spend the night here. As it is, she's put in forty hours this week, and it's just Wednesday. She's been doing this for the last few weeks."

"Why didn't you mention this before? Her time card hasn't shown anything."

"She's lying about her hours then. I didn't think it was really a problem until now."

He nodded, looked into the room and walked in. "Go home."

Charli looked up then back into the scope. "I am in just a minute. Natalia's waiting for me while I finish this last sample of..." and she stopped when the light on it clicked off.

"I said, go home. I should make you stay home, and I would if you were logging your hours right." She stared at him for a second and he shook his head. "Don't look at me like that. I know you've been staying over and been catching ride from the night crew. Don't get me wrong, your work here is invaluable, but you need to sleep."

She was tired and it was starting to show. "I don't want to sleep." she whispered softly.

"What?" he asked, unsure if he'd just heard her correctly.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"You're going to wind up collapsing on my floor if you keep up at this pace. Now, say good-night before I have to put you on administrative leave for not logging your hours worked."

She glared at him. "As my friend, you know that's not right."

"And as your superior, I know that you need to quit pushing yourself. Go home."

Turning and admitting defeat, she took her lab jacket off and didn't notice the envelope that fell out of her pocket. He bent down and picked it up. "You got a letter from your scholarship essay?"

She shrugged.

"You haven't opened it yet?"

Not talking, she shook her head.

He stepped closer to her and put his fingers, gently under her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his. "Now I know something is wrong with you."

She turned her head loose from his grip and grabbed the letter back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"No. You wont."

Charli looked up at him.

"I want you home for a couple of days. And I want you to see someone. Talk to someone. I don't care if it's me, if it's Natalia, if it's a clinical psychologist. But you have to talk to somebody. I had no idea it was this bad. This is killing you, and everyone but you, knows it."

"You think I don't know it?"

He gazed at her for a moment. She did realize it, he thought sadly. "I think you don't care." then he studied the tears that were threatening to fall. "At least, not enough to do anything about it."

Turning away again she started walking out.

"Charli?"

She turned around, not wiping the tear that was rolling slowly down.

He stepped closer and used his knuckle to wipe it away from her cheek. "Lucky for you, there are people around here, that care enough for two."

Without a word, she turned and walked away. Was he right? Did she just not care? Maybe he was too close to the truth for comfort. Too close to a truth that she wasn't ready to admit. She jumped in the car and remained silent the whole way home.

* * *

That night, she had a nightmare, and it was bad. When she finally came out of it and focused her eyes, she was confused to see not only Natalia at the foot of her bed, but Horatio beside her. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice still shaking.

Her voice was so quiet and meek, it almost scared him. "You, were having a nightmare. Natalia couldn't bring you out of it. She called me." and he watched her eyes cloud. "Now, am I going to have to take you to the hospital or are you going to talk to one of us?"

Defeat filling her eyes, she closed them and shook her head. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet H. I don't know if I can."

"Sweetheart, your nightmares would suggest otherwise. So why don't you start there?"

She took a deep breath and wondered where to even start with her dreams.

After almost an hour, she had told them everything there was to tell about every nightmare and every bad feeling and thought that she had. She felt so tired and was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

She glanced up at him, worried and barely awake. "He's coming after me H. He's going to find me."

He looked at her, sure the tears would fall if she had the energy to do it. "He's not going to get you while I'm here honey. Natalia wouldn't let anything happen to you either."

She nodded and closed her eyes. "I'm scared."

"I know sweetheart. I know." and he stood and followed Natalia out into her living room.

"Thank you so much. I didn't know what to do. I've never seen that before."

He nodded. "She's got a long road to go. You're off for the next couple of days and if you want, I'll stop by and peek in after work. But she doesn't need to be alone and I told her to stay home."

She nodded. "No problem."

H smiled at her. "Thanks for calling me."

"I can't believe she actually talked to you. But I knew that if anyone could do it, it would be you."

"Thanks." and he smiled. "She worried me for a little bit there." and he sat down as they talked. "I thought we were going to lose her."

She nodded and then looked up the stairs after sitting on the other end of the couch. "I did too. I'm so out of my element here. You'd think going through what I went through, I would be perfect for this. But she's got things going that I didn't realize and didn't have. She's had _years_ of isolation and having to fend for herself. Years of abuse. I'm not saying I didn't have my fair share but..."

"You, shouldn't have ever had to go through what you did. You should have been treated with respect from the beginning of that relationship. But you weren't. And as bad as it was that you went through that, you've got certain insight into her life."

"If I could get her to talk to me. She trusts you."

He studied her. "She trusts you too. Believe me, she wouldn't be living here if she didn't. She just needs to open up to you. Maybe you can talk to her about what you went through."

"I've tried." she sighed lightly.

"Maybe she will listen now."

"I hope so."

* * *

The next day, she woke and walked downstairs, still completely drained from the night before. She started a pot of coffee and waited for Natalia to come down. It wasn't even fifteen minutes before she saw her.

"Hey hon."

"Hey." she replied back. "Coffee is made."

"Thanks. You know I've had that thing for years and it's never gotten more use than when you are here."

She half laughed. "Sorry."

"Oh please. Don't be sorry. I'm glad it's getting used. And you make good coffee. Do you know how much money I've saved drinking your coffee instead of Starbucks?"

That made her smile. "Well thanks...I guess?"

"You're not used to accepting compliments are you?"

Charli looked down and shook her head. "No. Before H, no one has ever believed in me." then she shrugged. "Since I was eight anyway. Teachers would tell me I'd done a good job and stuff, but no one ever really meant it." She grabbed her cup of coffee and curled up on the couch.

"You really miss her don't you?"

She nodded. "I wasn't allowed to talk about her around my dad. So I started to forget. I tried not to, but I couldn't help it." she whispered. "And I got so mad. It wasn't fair that he wouldn't let me talk about her. Wouldn't let me remember. He wouldn't even let me cry."

Natalia and Charli talked the whole day. She told her everything from her earliest memory to the last thing she remembered the day she cut her hand open at the lab. The rest of course, Natalia had known from personal experience and being there first hand. She hadn't even realized that she had talked all day until there was a knock on the door and a familiar red head was on the other side.

He stood there smiling as he noticed how much more color she had from the night before. "You're looking much better Ms. Gibbens."

Charli smiled. "Thanks Mr. Caine. I have to admit, I'm glad you were here last night. I'm sorry that I caused you to come..."

"Don't be. I'm glad I was able to wake you up. You gave us a good scare."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Are you feeling better?"

Nodding, she stood up. "I am. I'm glad you made me stay home today."

He smiled again. "Tomorrow too."

She grinned back. "Tomorrow too."

* * *

Over the course of the next few weeks, she started to heal again, and started to become the person no one knew was in there. She laughed, she giggled, she picked and played, she started going to class in college. The smart kid inside this young adult was starting to show, and no one could help but gravitate toward her.

Horatio walked through and up to the roof. "We need you downstairs."

She turned and smiled. "Alright. I was just getting a few minutes. We've been busy."

He nodded. "An unfortunate cause of spring break in Miami." then he studied her. "How is class? Shouldn't you be there today?"

"I'm taking a day off of class to help out around here. Don't worry, I'm not missing anything, and my professor let me take my midterm yesterday. Next week is our spring break."

"I don't like you taking off of school for the lab Ms. Gibbens."

She shrugged. "I don't like knowing that you guys are backed up as bad as you are and I can't help because I'm in school, Mr. Caine."

H flashed a grin. "Your education is imperative. The lab is always going to be here."

"So is school. Like I said, the professor let me take my test early. If you want to talk to him..."

He shook his head and laughed. "Let's go Charli."

She laughed and followed him in. They had done six hours worth of work in almost four and she was starving. She hadn't had anything since breakfast which admittedly had been a cereal bar from the vending machine and a cup of coffee. She glanced up at Walter when he walked in and smiled. "Are we ordering in some food?"

He smiled. "That's a good idea. What do you want and from where?" and they ordered. It was after the food had been delivered that a very serious expression crossed Horatio's face while he took a call.

"What's wrong boss?"

He closed his phone and breathed out heavy. "I need to speak with you for a second Charli."

She followed him out to the hallway and Natalia watched as the color drained from her face and she staggered back to sit in the chair. She stepped out into the hallway.

"How does this happen?"

"I don't know, but they're looking for him. They will find him Charli."

"What's going on?" Natalia asked.

H turned toward her. "Her dad is missing."

"What? How?"

"He faked illness to get to the infirmary then assaulted a nurse."

She turned toward Charli. "You know that H and I wont let anything happen to you."

She simply nodded, without saying anything. She took a deep breath, stood up, and walked back into the break room. She stared at the food on the table, no longer hungry. It wasn't going to stop unless she did something about it. And she would do something about it soon. Dammit, she enjoyed her life now. She had things going for her. And she wasn't going to let him stop her from living it now.

She went back to work, with shaking hands. Horatio appeared behind her. "You didn't eat lunch."

"I've lost my appetite."

"You need to eat Charli."

She stared at the screen where she'd been trying to break down a chemical found on a beach murder.

He took a step closer and put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "He will be found. I will do whatever is in my power to keep you safe."

And she believed him. She knew he would do whatever he could. And that whole team would do the same thing. She was so lucky to have the family that she had found. She kept working, still not responding.

He watched her reach up and wipe a tear from her cheek with a still shaking hand. She was scared. And he could understand why. But there was something else there that worried him. A controlled emotion that she wasn't letting on at all. "What are you thinking Charli?"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "That I have a lot of work that needs to be done."

She wasn't going to talk to him. He walked back out and grabbed Natalia before walking back into the break room. "Don't let her out of your sight." She nodded and he went in to talk to the rest of the crew.

* * *

His phone was ringing and he grabbed it. Any time someone called him at three in the morning, it was a bad sign. "Natalia?"

"She's gone. I don't know what happened. I was on the couch, and she slipped out."

"She's going after him herself."

"H. There's something else."

He got a pit in his stomach.

"My service weapon's missing."

"I'm on my way." When he got there, she was ready to leave. She got in the Hummer.

"I'm so sorry, H."

"We'll find her." and he drove to the apartment that her and her father used to share. They weren't there, as he suspected. Her father wasn't that stupid. He got back in. "Did she talk about any place other than this apartment? Seems like she lived in a rural area when I was working her mother's case."

"She talked about a place out near the glades where she was found. A farm. But I'm not sure where."

He thought back. It had been almost nine years. He had gone to the house to talk to Boyd, Charli's father, when her mother had first been murdered. It took almost twenty minutes to get there from the apartment and he prayed the whole time, that he wouldn't be too late. He got out of the Hummer and could hear talking in the barn on the property.

Natalia had Horatio's back up weapon and they both had them pulled when he went around the side of the door and into the barn. Charli had the gun pulled, and aimed at her father at the other end of the barn, some fifty yards away.

"Do you know what I've been through? Because of you! I can't even accept a _hug_ from someone! I won't cry in front of anyone, I can't even tell someone I love them, all because of you! When was the last time you told me you loved me? Never! You never loved me! And I've worked extremely hard to prove that I'm nothing like you."

He laughed. "Nothing like me? You're just some scared kid! You think you're big and bad because of that gun? You forget little girl, I _taught_ you how to shoot."

"Yes, you did. And I haven't forgotten anything." and she fired the weapon, hitting the ground beside his foot.

"You almost hit me!"

"If I'd wanted to hit you, I would have."

"Wait until I'm through with you. Look at your hands shaking, you don't have the guts to shoot me." then he laughed. "I should have killed you when I had the chance. I should have killed you when I killed your mother."

"Shut up!" she screamed out.

"Charli?"

She heard the voice behind her and stopped her breath for a few seconds. "Leave me alone H."

"I can't do it. You know I can't." and he stepped closer to her, gun still pulled, hoping like hell she wouldn't force him to have to shoot at her.

"This doesn't concern you."

"The hell it doesn't. You're a member of my team, and you've got a stolen gun."

Boyd's laugh rang out. "See. You're just like me. You'll never be anything! You'll wind up in jail and all because of your own stupidity."

"Shut up!" she screamed again.

"Charli?"

"Leave me alone! This ends now!"

"Yes it will, but not like this Charli. Give me the gun sweetheart."

He came up beside her, but she stayed staring at her father. He could see the tears streaming down her face. Boyd was right. Her hands were shaking. "Charli, give me the gun."

"Just go away."

"I'm not going away. Give me the gun Charli."

"Why?"

"Give me the gun sweetheart."

"Yeah 'sweetheart'! Give him the gun!"

"Shut up! You have no right to say that to me! No right! You're not getting away with this! Not again!"

"Do it then! Shoot! Shoot me if you're not scared, big girl!"

Horatio saw her finger going toward the trigger to squeeze again and he stepped forward, reaching his free hand out to her arm, and placed his hand on her wrist. "Come on Charli. Don't do this. He's not worth it." and he felt how tense her arms were. "Come on honey. Give me the gun."

"Just shoot!"

"Don't do it Charli. You're better than this.

A sob broke from her as she relaxed her arm and Horatio grabbed the gun. "That's it. Good girl." and for the first time since he got there, she looked at him and all the desperation and the anger were present. For everything he did know that was going through her mind, there were layers there that he could see now, that went deeper than he'd ever imagined.

From the side, she heard a laugh, and then a click and she turned. "You should have let her shoot, pig."

She heard a familiar bang from his gun, that she'd shot herself, and she turned her body into Horatio's, to cover him, as he tried to push her down. The burn emanated through the left side of her ribs and into the middle of her chest, and before she could register what had happened, she heard another bang, and saw her father drop to the ground. She heard a familiar voice.

"You should have expected back-up, ass hole."

Natalia. She was standing over her now. When did she get laid on the ground? "H?"

"Shhh. Don't try to talk."

She opened her mouth again but tasted copper in the back of her throat and felt something warm and wet running out of her nose.

He noticed the light in her eyes was fading. "Come on Charli. Stay with me."

Without asking, Natalia checked Boyd and then called an ambulance and medical examiner.

"Should...should have killed..."

"No. You did good." and he looked down when he heard a gurgling sound. She was drowning in her own blood. He turned her up on the opposite side of the bullet wound, helping support her as she coughed. "Natalia let them know her lung is punctured and may have collapsed. I want them here now. Where are they?"

She yelled into the phone then came back. "Any minute now."

"Did you hear that Charli? Hang on for me honey."

She closed her eyes for a moment. H was safe. He was okay, and her father was dead. Natalia was safe. It was over.

"Come on Charli. Open your eyes sweetheart." She moaned but didn't open them. "Stay with me Charli."

"They're here." Natalia shouted.

"Charli? Honey hang on for me. We're getting you help. The ambulance is here." and he yelled as people started flooding into the barn. He never let go of her hand the entire way to the hospital. They had reinflated her lung which had collapsed and she was being rushed in for emergency surgery to remove the bullet. He and Natalia paced the waiting room for close to eight hours before the surgeon showed up, blood all over his scrubs.

"She's in recovery. It's going to be touch and go for a little while and I'm not sure which way she's going to go. There was extensive blood loss and we've had to put her on a ventilator for the time being, until we can determine if she's going to be able to breathe on her own. The bullet came out fairly easily thankfully and it didn't fragment, so we're grateful there wasn't any more damage than there was, but the scar tissue may cause problems in the future, we just wont know until later. I'll come and get you when she's in a room."

Horatio paced again. It was another hour before they came to get him and Natalia. Stopping before he entered the room, the nurse stopped him. "Talk to her. Give her hope. A lot of people believe they can't hear you. I believe the opposite. Talk to her."

They walked in and all he could do was sit. He tried to talk, but no words came for a few moments. Natalia stood beside him and put her hand on his shoulder as he sat there. Horatio took Charli's hand, as he'd done months before when she'd been beaten to near death. She didn't move. "Come on sweetheart." he finally started. "You've been through so much. Too much to quit now."

He stayed there, even sleeping a couple of times. It was three days before she showed any signs of improvement and she'd had to have another two transfusions. He'd been holding her hand when fingers lightly squeezed around his.

His gaze went to her face as he reached up and traced some of the hair out of her face. "Charli?"

Feeling another tiny squeeze to his fingers, he stood up and leaned over her. "Hey sweetheart, open your eyes for me."

She moaned lightly and squeezed again. "You can do it Charli." then he looked up as Natalia came back into the room with two cups of coffee.

"Come on baby." then her eyes barely became tiny slits as they tried to flutter open. "There you are." and he smiled at her. "Welcome back."

She nodded barely and looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Don't try to talk honey. Your throat is going to be sore for a little while, where they've had you on a ventilator."

She nodded again and closed her eyes in a long blink. When she opened them she saw Natalia and mouthed the words "I'm so sorry."

Smiling, she stepped forward. "Don't you worry about it. It's all over. You never have to worry about your father again."

The thought made her so relieved. She didn't remember much but she did remember seeing him drop. Horatio squeezed again. "Rest honey. The doctors and nurses are going to be pestering you soon enough." and he stood up.

She squeezed his fingers back and didn't let go right away.

He smiled. "I'll be right here when you wake back up."

Not questioning how he read her so well, she nodded and closed her eyes, finally letting go.

* * *

"You know Ms. Gibbens, you saved my life, stepping on front of that bullet." She smiled over her shoulder and then looked back down.

"Then we're even Mr. Caine, because you saved mine when you pulled me out of that car, when I was eight, and then again a few months ago."

"I guess we are." then he stepped forward and handed her an envelope. "Your test scores I assume."

She grabbed it and held it for a long moment. "I'm scared."

"After what you've been through, you're afraid of an envelope?"

Charli smiled. "Not the envelope. What's in it." and she took shaking hands to open it and read the results page. A large smile played across her lips.

"Good news I presume?"

"I passed." she whispered.

H smiled. "As if there was ever any doubt?"

She looked at him as he started to walk away. "H wait!" and she stepped up to him and caught him in a big hug. "Thanks for believing in me."

He hugged her back, smiling at the thought of how far she'd come. "You did all the work."

"Yeah, but you had faith in me, that I could do it."

"Life is what we make it Ms. Gibbens. And how much work we're willing to put into it. Always remember that. Whether or not anyone has faith in you or doesn't, always have faith enough in yourself and know that you can do anything you put your mind to."

She smiled and squeezed tighter. Saying words that she never thought she'd say, she whispered. "I love you H. This is my family. Here. And I'm so incredibly grateful to have any part in it, no matter how big or small."

He gently kissed the top of her head and smiled. "We all love you too, Charli."


End file.
